Why the Big Pause?

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Doc about silence in comedy, starting on R4 in about five minutes. Warning: contains Gervais.

[Catalogue Trousers]

contains Gervais

Which explains the long, laughterless, embarrassed pauses in itself (b'dum-tish).

*tumbleweeds*

*chirping crickets*

*leaves stage to the Comedian's Anthem - the sound of his own footsteps*

[ApexJazz]

The clips will be riveting no doubt.

Does Ricky Gervais have Laurel & Hardy and Harry Langdon booked to appear on Extras series two?

[thepuffpastryhangman]

Overheard it as I pottered in the kitchen. After initial fascination, I found myself damning the 'obviousness' of it all, then, telling myself all these rules, helpful hints and tips, were sickeningly formulaic. My attitude was alarmingly dependent on the particular contributor, it was easy to respect Ray Galton talking about Jack Benny, but, you guessed it, hard to stomach Gervais 'explaining' the pauses in which sucker audiences (like you) bond with the character's awkwardness. I found myself screaming inside 'No! Audience, no! Don't let Ricky mess with you like that', as if he's much nastier a fiddler than whoever else was on.
Overall though, the program was pretty good. Plenty of 'stars' giving their tuppence worth. Variety. And Bloom handled it well.
No one could hate the whole show. Right?

[greencalx]

At the risk of coming over all Beverley Hughes, I didn't hear the show, but personally I would have thought yer classic comedy pause was intended to drop the punchline in at the optimum point for maximum enjoyment.  Whereas the Gervais pause seems to be there to distract you from the fact that there aren't any punchlines, which would make it a completely different beast entirely, no?

[Morgan]

How did everyone else REACT to this then?

[RFT]

I only caught the last half of this while heading down the M40

It was OK, I guess, though it was a perfect illustration of there being few things less funny than anaylysing comedy.

the stewart lee clip at the end made me laugh a lot, but really it was just mid-mornign radio 4 filler. no great revelations, certainly.

[Catalogue Trousers]

coming over all Beverley Hughes

Phwoaarrrrr.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

The i/v snippets were fine, but I don't understand why they got Adam Bloom to present it. Not only has he got a terrible voice-over voice, but he's always been a self-publicising arsehole - my main memory of him is on Edinburgh Or Bust, grumbling loudly into a mobile phone and mugging to camera about how he hadn't been nominated for the Perrier and how all his friends were amazed by this fact. His mock modesty at 'having the audacity to' play a clip of himself alongside Woody Allen (something he could easily not have done) made my ears itch.

I don't think comedy analysis has to be funny, though - I've always loved hearing comedians deconstruct their craft, and it always pisses me off that it's such a taboo.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

Incidentally, why didn't Bloom become a huge star? He was the big, don't-knock-him-he's-the-future, Lucy Montgomery figure of 1999. Who lapped him?

[Marv Orange]

Incidentally, why didn't Bloom become a huge star? He was the big, don't-knock-him-he's-the-future, Lucy Montgomery figure of 1999. Who lapped him?

From his website
"He's been one of my favourite stand-ups for about ten years. Bloom not only has meticulous, brilliant lines, but also an intense and fragile honesty"
Ricky Gervais

I saw it and imeadiatly thought of you lalla.

[RFT]

I don't think comedy analysis has to be funny, though - I've always loved hearing comedians deconstruct their craft, and it always pisses me off that it's such a taboo.

you're right, it doesn;t have to be, but this wasn;t really great comedy analysis.

I suppose critical anaysis of most things is quite dry- it's just with comedy this dryness is bought into shaper relief.

[Emergency Lalla Ward Ten]

I've always found comedy analysis, paticularly the deconstruction of why jokes work or don't work, fascinating. I absolutely love it when comedians do it without any 'Sorry, this is a bit nerdy' apologies.

Listening to the Baddiel and Skinner podcasts, I've realised how close comedy analysis is to football analysis. Both are futile in a way, but there's something thrilling about hearing people enthusing about stuff.

[Mr. Bleaney]

Why are all documentaries about comedy named after lines from jokes these days?